14 October 2010

I love few things more than having someone alert me to something because they knew I'd love it/thought of me when they saw it. And this is how I happened upon Douglas Coupeland's modernist residence in Canada. So thank you Anna - you were bang on! It reminds me of our new house too!

(above) Douglas Coupland, the author of "Generation X," Microserfs" and the upcoming novel "Generation A," renovated a midcentury house in Vancouver, British Columbia, that could technically be called a second home, though it doesn't really provide much of a scenery change: it sits directly behind his primary residence.

(below) When the house came on the market, Mr. Coupland saw it as a chance to preserve an architectural style that he says is disappearing. The carport, which houses his Nissan Figaro, is original.

(below) Mr. Coupland, who was an artist before his writing career took off, has created an open floor plan that showcases his art and reflects his inventive point of view. "The house, to me, is all about modularity and building kits," he said, referring to the vintage building kits that he collects. Here, he applies white Lego building blocks to a post in an upstairs gallery space, where his "Target Stack" installation hangs on a wall.

(below) He installed a number of art works throughout the house, including many of his own creations. His “Downy Fabric Softener” sits in a hall before a Brian Howell photograph. The flagstone floor is original.

(below) Other original details include the glass entryway, where he has installed dice as an ode to the artist Damien Hirst’s pill paintings.

(below) Spools of thread are on display as they would be in a tailor shop, another nod to Mr. Hirst’s work. When guests come over to the house Mr. Coupland invites them to pull on the string.

(below) Mr. Coupland made his bathroom “embody the best of what I like in hotel bathrooms.” The sleek tub is by Acri-Tec.

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